Opposition Leader Mark Golding has declared that Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ failure to certify his statutory declarations and reveal the six parliamentarians being investigated for illicit enrichment are causes for a state of emergency on corruption.

Golding, who delivered remarks at the presentation of candidates for Eastern Hanover on Sunday, reiterated that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is plagued with corrupt leaders, and the only way to move the country in the right direction is to vote his party into office.

“There is a state of emergency in terms of corruption in this country. Six members of parliament investigated for illicit enrichment, and the party from whence they came will not put their names forward and tell the people who they are. Their leader, who I have called on to name them, instead has put a gag order on his Cabinet so that they cannot talk about anything to do with the Integrity Commission,” said Golding.

“His own annual declaration cannot be certified. That is a state of emergency in governance in this country, and it is time to run them out and restore Jamaica’s democracy,” he charged.

In July last year, the 2022-2023 Annual Report of the Commission was tabled in Parliament. The report listed six parliamentarians who were being probed for illicit enrichment by the country’s anti-corruption watchdog.

Golding confidently declared that no member of parliament from the Opposition was under investigation and challenged the Government to do the same. His call was met with silence from the governing party, which stated that the Cabinet made a policy decision to reserve its comments in the public domain on any matter concerning the Integrity Commission.

The decision came after multiple instances of the Government and the Integrity Commission taking jabs at each other, with government members lashing out against the anti-corruption agency with claims of ‘organisational bias and corruption’.

A deafening silence also looms concerning the status of the prime minister’s statutory declarations for 2021 and 2022.

The stipulated annual submission of assets, liabilities, and income is a vital protocol for politicians and public officials to maintain accountability.

In October last year, the issue was raised by journalists who demanded an answer from Holness as why his declarations were not certified. The prime minister, in response, said that he too shared similar concerns and was in the process of filing additional documents to the commission in order to have them certified.

He added that he hoped the declarations would be certified by the end of 2023. However, they were not. The commission nor the Office of the Prime Minister has come forward to provide an update on the matter.

The Opposition leader’s declarations were certified by the commission.